MARCH 22, Proverbs 6:6-8

Ants are small social insects that live in organised communities called a colony. You may not know this, but there are nearly 20,000 species of ants that vary in size, colour, and ways of life. Most are a dull, drab colour such as brown, rust, or black. However some ants are yellow, green, blue, or purple. The largest ant species can reach over 1 inch in length, while the smallest is about 1/25 of an inch.

Ants are most numerous in warm climate regions, so we see a lot of them in Singapore. They could be thriving in some corner of your house carrying, storing and nibbling on some food leftovers or in your school garden. In fact, they live almost everywhere on land except for extremely cold locations. Ants have many different ways of life. Some ants live in underground tunnels or build earthen mounds. Other ants live inside trees or in certain plants. Some construct nests of tree leaves.

An ant colony may be small in number or reach into the hundreds, thousands, or even millions of inhabitants. Larger colonies have many queens whose chief responsibility is to lay eggs. Most colony members are workers.

But exactly what can we learn from ants? They are very hardworking, and also store food for the proverbial “rainy day”. These are special “harvester ants” which collect food and store them within their nests. Some ants can lift items 50 times their own weight!

Are you a hardworking child? Are you like the ants in being prepared for a “rainy day”? What is a “rainy day” anyway? It is not a day when it rains. Rather, it is a time of need or trouble. It could be your school assessments, or examinations, or some family problems. There are family problems that you would not be able to help for you are young, but there is someone who could help, and that someone is the person you call “Heavenly Father”. So turn to Him for comfort. For rainy days such as your continual assessments or examinations which you can prepare for, do you study hard consistently or do you study hard only days before examinations? Do you think ants store food only when they think food supply is low or whenever there are opportunities to put more food into their store?

Thought: May I be hardworking like the ants!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may I never be lazy, but instead be diligent in all that I do so that I will be a good testimony for You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.